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chronicon

Chronicon is a term used in Latin and Greek literary tradition to denote a chronological record of events. The word derives from Latin chronicon, itself from Greek chronikon, the neuter form of chronikos, meaning related to time. In medieval and early modern Europe, chronicons were often used as auxiliary works in universal histories, episcopal histories, or annalistic compilations. They typically present events in roughly year-by-year order, sometimes as lists of rulers, ecclesiastical successions, battles, natural phenomena, and notable deaths. They may be standalone works or annexes to larger chronicles, and they often draw on earlier sources, with varying degrees of interpretation and synthesis. Manuscripts frequently preserve a calendar-like structure, with regnal years and brief notes on events.

The title Chronicon or Chronikon was widely adopted across Latin and Greek traditions, so many different works

See also: Chronicle; Annal; Chronology.

share
the
name
even
though
they
are
not
directly
related.
Because
of
the
generic
nature
of
the
form,
modern
scholars
use
'chronicon'
as
a
generic
descriptor
for
such
chronological
compilations
rather
than
a
single
text.
Chronicons
are
studied
in
the
fields
of
medieval
history,
patristics,
and
philology;
they
are
often
transmitted
in
manuscript
corpora
and
have
been
edited
and
translated
in
modern
scholarly
editions.